His Better Elf
| His Better Elf | |
|---|---|
| Woody Woodpecker series | |
 | |
| Directed by | Paul J. Smith |
| Produced by | Walter Lantz |
| Story by | Michael Maltese |
| Voices by |
Grace Stafford Dal McKennon |
| Music by | Clarence Wheeler |
| Animation by |
Robert Bentley Herman Cohen Laverne Harding Gil Turner Art Landy |
| Studio | Walter Lantz Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal International |
| Release date(s) | July 14, 1958 (U.S.) |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 6' 01" |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Half Empty Saddles |
| Followed by | Everglade Raid |
His Better Elf is the 85th animated cartoon short subject in the Woody Woodpecker series. Released theatrically on July 14, 1958, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal International.
Plot
A poor and destitute Woody Woodpecker is seated in his tumbledown hut on the edge of the city dump, almost completely surrounded by bills. "I wish I was rich," he says. As he speaks, a four-leaf clover pops up. It changes into a small, green woodpecker, who claims that he's a leprechaun named O'Toole. The leprechaun, after showing Woody a few of his tricks, tells Woody that he has come to bring him three wishes. "I wish I was rich. Give me gold," says Woody. "You'll find it at the end of the rainbow," says O'Toole. Sure enough, Woody slides into a pile of gold. He fills a bag with gold and starts to run. Woody exits through a bank door and sets off an alarm which brings the police. As Woody, handcuffed by two policemen, is being taken away, Woody says to O'Toole, "I wish I was out of this. Take me home." "That's wish number two," says O'Toole, as he grants the wish. So, Woody's back where he started from, surrounded by bills, as O'Toole tells Woody that he should work for what he gets. As O'Toole starts to go, Woody remembers that he has one more wish, so he says to O'Toole, "Go to blazes." So O'Toole, the leprechaun, returns from the place once he came- his home of brimstone and blaze. It ended with Dante, the woodpecker devil, told O'Toole "You wore out, your welcome up there, again".
References
- Cooke, Jon, Komorowski, Thad, Shakarian, Pietro, and Tatay, Jack. "1958". The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia.